Liberal Democrats have welcomed the result of a vote which could lead to B&NES Council requiring planning permission for dwellings to be converted to shared homes or ‘HMOs’.

 

Lib Dem Councillors from Bath had tabled a motion to this week’s Council meeting to go forward with the so-called ‘Article 4 Direction’. The rule would allow the Council to require planning permission for new HMOs even though the national blanket requirement has been removed by government.

 

Councillor Will Sandry (Liberal Democrat, Oldfield), who was the proposer of the original motion, accepted an amendment which tasked the Cabinet member for service delivery with taking the project forwards. Councillor Sandry commented:

 

“I was quite happy to accept the alternative version of the motion because it means we can get the ball rolling on what will be a very important project for the city. This is an opportunity for the Council to take action to help build more balanced communities in some parts of the city.

 

“We do need to do something to tackle concentrations of HMOs as a predominance of shared housing in an area can lead to tensions within the community – from a lack of available parking spaces to a lack of affordable (rented or purchased) housing for couples and families.

 

“There’s quite a long lead in time to get the Article 4 Direction up and running, so we really need to get going on this right away. I will continue to press the Cabinet member for action.”

 

Councillor Nicholas Coombes (Liberal Democrat, Bathwick) spoke in the debate about the value of shared housing to the community, he commented:

 

“We are very clear that this motion is not intended to suggest shared housing is unwanted. I’ve lived in a shared house for many years now – both as a student and a young professional – and I know first hand that it is really the only way to afford to live in a city.

 

“The planning permission requirement for conversions won’t be detrimental to people who want to live in shared housing – in fact it should drive standards of accommodation up by ensuring that future shared homes will be suitable for multiple occupants and by weeding out less professional landlords.

 

“To further improve to our HMO stock the council should increase the scope of the licensing rules to ensure that more sharers live in a safe and fit for purpose home.”